"I just think the whole thing was mishandled," Linda Burk said of her arrest and incarceration.

A BlairstownTownshippolice detective arrested a grandmother knowing she was innocent, forcing her
to spend two days in the county jail where she was mistreated, according to a
civil complaint filed in New Jersey Superior Court in Belvidere.

Linda Burk, of Mansfield Township, alleges
Detective Nicholas Falcicchio issued a warrant falsely accusing her of faking government
documents that she had notarized by a Hackettstown bank, according to the lawsuit filed last week. She said
Falcicchio knew the documents were valid.

"I just think the whole thing was mishandled," Burk said. "He
made a horrible mess."

Police arrested Burk on Dec. 9, 2010, on charges that she forged her son's
signature, which allowed her to visit her granddaughter. Bail was set at $1,000
with a 10 percent option.

Burk was barred from contact with her son or granddaughter and
she was forced to have a mental health evaluation. The charges were eventually
dismissed.

Burk alleges Falcicchio intimidated her son into telling
authorities that the signature was forged. She also alleges that he misled the court
in obtaining a warrant for "personal reasons."

Falcicchio did not return calls for comment. The township mayor and a representative of the police department,
who are also named in the suit, did not return calls. Representatives from
the Warren County freeholders, who are listed in the complaint, declined to comment.

Once inside the jail, Burk alleges she was forced to strip
down in front of male corrections officers without the presence of a female
guard.

Burk alleges she was also denied access to her asthma medication.
Jail Warden Robert Brothers said he couldn't comment on strip-search policies
or the lawsuit. He indicated that he wasn't familiar with Burk or the
complaint.

Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said that his office is not investigating any incidents involving Burk. He said that she has filed complaints with his office before, but that there wasn't enough evidence to launch investigations. He wasn't sure if the arrest outlined in the complaint was involved in that case.